Blaze hits NOMA office refurb
The delivery of a 120,000 sq ft speculative office as part of the Co-operative Group and Hermes Real Estate’s £800m NOMA neighbourhood in Manchester is likely to be delayed after a fire broke out on the roof on the evening of Monday 12 October.
Ten fire engines and 50 firefighters from the Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue Service attended the incident at the Hanover building from 5.30pm, with 75ft hydraulic platforms and high volume pumps used to tackle the blaze.
An artist’s impression of the refurbished Hanover, which was due to complete in autumn 2016
Activity was scaled back by 10pm and three fire engines were still positioned next to the building this morning.
A statement from NOMA posted on Twitter last night confirmed that the property was vacant and everybody had been accounted for.
The seven-storey grade two-listed Hanover is a former commercial warehouse on the corner of Corporation Street near Victoria Station. Main contractor Wates is currently on site delivering the refurbishment.
Hanover was launched to the market in July, and the project was due to complete in autumn 2016.
A spokesman for NOMA and Wates Construction said: “We are working closely with the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service and our on-site team to ensure we can gain access to the building as soon and as safely as possible.
“Our priority is to ensure the safety of people in the area. As a precaution some roads and transport links have been closed by the local council while contractors, under the supervision of the fire service, make safety checks.”
A statement from Transport for Greater Manchester issued on the afternoon of Tuesday 13 October said that Metrolink was running a reduced service, with tram services unable to run through Shudehill due to the incident at Hanover, “pending a structural assessment of a building damaged during a fire in the city centre yesterday”.
See below for infrared aerial footage of the fire released by Greater Manchester Fire & Rescue on Twitter
Here’s some aerial footage from our Air Unit. This infra-red material is invaluable when fighting fires like this. pic.twitter.com/WWMpi0BVvy
— Manchester Fire (@manchesterfire) October 12, 2015
Major Setback? Bit more than that I would have thought………
By Fireman Sam
At least no one was hurt
By MancLass
Metrolink services cancelled on that street now due to concerns about the buildings structure according to evening news site….
Which means I’ll be amazed if this project happens now. What a shame to lose one of the finest buildings in the city centre, hope there’s a proper investigation here as a mid-refurb building should not be destroyed by fire.
By Paperboy
good news for new bailey
By mancboi